Friday, May 04, 2012

This is my Lower Bay Dredging Update No. 4.







This is my Lower Bay Dredging Update No. 4.

1.     This week, RE Staite has mobilized some equipment into the harbor, and they’ve established a mooring area near the west side of Bay Island, and near the eastern end of the anchorage area.   They’ll use this area periodically throughout the project.

2.     Please remember to give the barges, tugs and disposal scows plenty of room when you are boating in the harbor.  It takes a long time for this equipment to stop or change course when underway – don’t underestimate their size and momentum!

3.     The larger dredge, the “DB Palomar”, is currently working near the Balboa Bay Club.  This dredge has a 14 cubic yard bucket, and is most efficient for shallow cuts.

4.     The larger disposal scow, the “Weeks 261” is working alongside the Palomar.  This scow has a capacity of 2,000 cubic yards, and RE Staite intends to fill it to capacity to maximize our loads to the Port of Long Beach. 

5.     Please see the attached Figure 2 which shows the current areas under construction.  RE Staite will begin working along the eastern tip of Lido Isle within the next few days.  This figure will be updated as the contractor progresses throughout the harbor. As always, the schedule is bound to change on a moment’s notice. 

6.     RE Staite is really pushing hard to meet the June 30 deadline for disposal at the Port of Long Beach.  To do so, the City has permitted them to work from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm 7 days a week including holidays.  It is highly probable that 24 hour shifts will be required during this critical push to meet this deadline.  I will keep everyone posted once we have an estimated schedule from the contractor.

7.     Very soon, the smaller dredge barge will arrive in Newport, and it will replace the larger rig (Palomar) by the Balboa Bay Club to allow the Palomar to begin off Lido Isle.  They’ll be creating a channel around the tip of Lido Isle so they can reach the area between Via Lido Soud and the peninsula.  This large area is bound for the POLB, so they need to get there as quickly as possible.

8.     There will also be two smaller disposal scows arriving soon.  These will have a capacity of 1,000 cubic yards each.

9.     The anchorage area between Lido Isle and Bay Island will be temporarily relocated (for the duration of this project) to the western end of Lido Isle by Lido Marina Village early next week.  I have contacted the charter companies who are berthed at that end of the harbor so they are aware.  Many thanks to Chandler Bell of Hornblower, Harbormaster Tom Slayton and Chuck South who assisted in mapping out the temporary location of the anchorage.

10.  Race marker “W” near the eastern tip of Lido Isle will be removed today for the time being.  We’ll coordinate with the contractor as to when it’s safe to put it back.  Many thanks to the Association of Orange Coast Yacht Clubs (AOCYC) for their flexibility during this project.

11.  If you would like to receive these updates, please send your email request to: cmiller@newportbeachca.gov

Thank you,

Chris Miller
Harbor Resources Manager
(949) 644-3043  * cmiller@newportbeachca.gov

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